News Photography a Second-Hand Profession?October 10th, 2009News
photographers in the Arab world are having a hard time making their
living. Vague copyright laws and disrespect for the profession are
major obstacles, with their work rarely being considered a fundamental
element of journalistic work.

Whenever
Samer Mohdad, photographer and CEO of the Beirut-based photo archival
agency Arab Images Foundation, opens the newspaper and finds his own
pictures randomly appearing in the paper without credit, it is no
surprise to him. "There have been several times where my work has been
featured in Arab publications without my consent," said Mohdad to APN.

He
even recalls a few occasions where publications copied and scanned
pictures from books containing his photos. All to avoid payment,
according to Mohdad.

"Paying photographers for their work
should not be optional in any way," John Perkins, a British freelance
photographer based in Cairo told APN. He added that he has had his
pictures published in several prominent Cairo-based publications but
that only one of them has actually paid him for his work so far. The
other papers promised to, but in practice never did.

Jean-Lou
Bersuder heads the photo department at Lebanon's An-Nahar daily
newspaper. He too says he has experienced similar incidents to that of
Mohdad in his work as a photographer.

"I once found my photo
appearing in a magazine without permission. The publication had copied
it from one of my books. When I asked them where they got the picture
from, they said they didn't know," Bersuder told APN.

'Second-hand' and 'second-man'?

It
is not uncommon to hear photographers working in the Arab world
complain about their work being violated or at times even 'stolen'.
Some photojournalists claim that their profession is considered a
'second-class job' in the region.

"I feel like newspapers in the
Arab world often don't appreciate photography. It's as if they think
that anyone can do it, like handing a camera to a local doorman, a
natuur, asking him to take pictures to avoid paying the photographer,"
stressed Mohdad.

Ramsi Haydar, a veteran photographer with AFP
in Beirut, told APN that photographers often tend to be 'the second
man' after the writers, but perhaps more for financial reasons.

"A journalist needs only this", said Haydar while holding up a pen. "Photographers come with a lot of expensive equipment."

One
journalist working at an English-language publication in Cairo further
illustrated that claim. She told APN that due to budget constraints the
writers are usually responsible for taking their own pictures when
they're out reporting.

Photo free-loading

Since
Perkins started his career as a photojournalist in 2001 he claims to
have had several run-ins with free loaders, mostly bloggers.

"I've
had my photos stolen a lot, but mainly by bloggers. It's annoying, but
it's hard to chase them down so I don't bother. Sometimes it's actually
funny, or nice, or interesting even that they choose to use my photos,"
he said.

Bloggers set aside; there is evidence that newspapers often take photos off the Web.

Berusder,
head of the photo department at An-Nahar, remains sceptical to that
claim, saying that the bad quality of online pictures often makes it
hard for print publications to use them.

"The resolution of
pictures available on the Internet is often too low for newspapers to
use. You can immediately spot a picture that has been taken off the
Net," he reassured.

Bersuder puts forth that the majority of
newspapers in Lebanon have a photo department with the exception of a
few publications. Most, he says, work with one of the large photo
agencies such as AFP or Reuters, and several have staff photographers.

"Photographers
working at international photo agencies rarely have their photos
violated. That's, however, not the case for the rest," added Bersuder.

"There
is a lack of information about the use of photography in Arab media.
Why do we still see pictures appearing in the newspaper without
reference to the source or with a byline?"

He also pointed to
blurred practices in the design and photo divisions of newspapers in
the Arab region, adding that 'it's hard to find standard or
professional procedures in the design and picture departments'.

Copyright controversy and technology leaps

One explanation to the issue might be what photographers claim is the 'vague implementation' of copyright laws.

"A
robust copyright law exists in Lebanon, but it's hardly ever used,"
said Bersuder. "The judiciary doesn't seem to know when to apply the
law. There has yet to be a court case in Lebanon on this matter". This
confusion also discourages photographers to bring a copyright case to
court.

Mohdad of the Arab Images Foundation echoed Bersuder's
argument, saying that in his work with European and Arab media, he has
only had problems with Arab publications, an issue he attributes to
ambiguous laws.

"It's completely different working with
Europe. No European publication has used my work without permission.
There are stricter copyright laws in Europe and they actually use them
over there," said Mohdad.

Perkins, who mainly works with
European media, puts forth that general obstacles surrounding
photography are not limited to the Arab world. Photographers everywhere
have to deal with low salaries and high equipment costs.

"Day
rates for magazine assignments haven't increased in Europe since I
started in 2001. And the cost of living, not to mention digital
equipment, has gone up. Now I'm expected to do what previously was the
job of photo labs, for no extra pay," argued Perkins.

The
development in camera technology has also complicated the work of
photographers, adding fierce competition from all corners. Cheap
digital cameras and mobile phones with built-in cameras now enable
almost anyone to engage in photojournalism on their own initiative.

"With
an adequate lens you can take good quality pictures even from a mobile
phone. I remember how we for example used a fantastic picture from a
man who had taken it with his cellular phone," said Bersuder.

The 'photography culture'

Obscure
copyright laws and advances in technology left aside, photographers
point to the need for change in what they call the 'photography
culture' of the Arab region.

"It's like they think that it's
'normal' to pay for pictures in Europe because that's the practice
there. In Lebanon for example, you have the notion that you can 'do
anything'. No one will take you in the ear and pull you over to court
for not paying for a picture," said Bersuder.

Haydar highlighted
Lebanon's complicated political situation, saying that 'there is no
time to deal with copyright laws when the country is without President'.

In
terms of future prospects for photography in the Arab world, Bersuder
emphasizes that while the implementation of copyright laws is
important, photographers need also to look to themselves.

"Many
photographers who are working for news publications are selling their
pictures on the side here and there. This practice both hurts their
reputation and drives down the market price of the pictures," he
stressed.